A cosmetic doctor who faced a backlash over a video picking apart pop star Troye Sivan's appearance says he feels terrible for upsetting the singer - but will continue to post.
London-based Dr. Zayn Khalid Majeed posted a two-minute clip drawing attention to the 30-year-old's problem areas following an appearance at a recent event in Australia.
Fans criticized the unsolicited advice, and the singer himself responded with an essay explaining how the video had triggered long-held insecurities about his body.
Since deleting the video and contacting Sivan to apologize, Majeed tells BBC Newsbeat he will try to make a more positive impact with his content.
Sivan, whose career began when he was a teenager, is regarded by many as a poster boy for the twink look.
The term refers to younger, slim gay men with a boyish look, and Sivan's image appears prominently in Google results and on Wikipedia's definition page.
In the video, which compared studio images of the singer with recent footage from a red carpet interview, Majeed said Sivan appeared to be showing signs of twink death.
The cosmetic doctor pointed towards several problem areas, such as shadows and volume loss in the singer's face. He then imagined a scenario where Sivan was his patient and listed various cosmetic improvements he could opt for, including skin boosters and dermal filler.
People on social media and fans of Sivan criticized Majeed's unsolicited advice on ways to retwinkify himself.
The singer himself then got involved, posting on blogging platform Substack about how the video had heightened his insecurities and pushed him towards considering cosmetic surgery.
In response, Majeed acknowledges that Sivan's reaction was incredibly raw and vulnerable, leading him to apologize directly. After the fallout, Majeed expressed a desire to promote body positivity rather than contribute to negative beauty standards.
The online content creator community continues to grapple with how discussions about beauty and surgery can affect audiences, raising important conversations about body image and self-perception.
